Art?

Definition of Art Definitions for art have always been fairly controversial. Usually fairly ethnocentric – each culture’s definition will focus on the products that are internally predominant Often ignore or downplay the importance of new forms Often look down on popular art or that with commercial purposes So, what is art?

For our purposes, art is… A range of human activities and the products of those activities, where the aesthetic considerations are important. It could be the visual arts (creation of products such as paintings, sculptures, etc), it could have practical considerations (decorative arts - furniture; architecture, clothing), performance arts (dance, music, film, theatre); interactive arts (games); written art (literature, poetry); or some combination of these

Purposes of Art Self-expression Healing Communication Experience of self in relation to the universe Entertainment

For political change, social inquiry, rejection of social norms, social causes

Ritual or spiritual function

Propaganda

How to Analyze Art What is being represented in the art work? How is it presented (positive, negative, powerful, weak, warlike, passive, etc.) in what ways is it accurate and in what ways is it different from reality (a weak ruler shown as powerful, happy peasants, someone shown as ugly

Reconstructed bust from the recovered skeleton of Richard III. Portrait painted in 1520, during the reign of Henry VII’s son

What symbols are included, and how do symbols, figures interact? Make sure that you interpret in context of culture - symbols can change from culture to culture (snakes, white clothing), so it is important to understand how contemporary viewers would have understood the images. How can these ideas connect to the larger culture?

What sort of subject matter (religious, pastoral, political, etc.) is predominant at the time and how does this fit in to the big picture? Is the artwork an outlier, or is it part of a body of work, common movement? If an outlier, may represent a protest to that culture's ideas; if part of a movement, is probably representative of cultural norms/values.

Michael Wolgemut, The Dance of Death, 1493 Peter Brueghel the Elder, The Triumph of Death, 1562

By studying the artistic output of a society, we can learn about its values, ideals, attitudes, etc. Changes in art style often accompany a change in values, leadership, environment, etc.